For Jake and Pete Twitchell, it’s the 10-year anniversary of their father’s tragic death in a 1952 mining accident. The Pickaway Coal Company’s South Mountain in rural West Virginia — locally nicknamed “The Burnt Part” — is where the death of those four miners occurred, three of whom left behind children.

In the midst of a weeks-long government shutdown, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre is trying to ease the pain.

It’s four songs into Anastasia before audiences are really introduced to Anya (Lila Coogan) the show’s female lead. Up until that point, a lot of years go by, and quickly too, jumping from 1906 to 1917 to our final destination, 1927.

The Gilmore Keyboard Festival welcomed Russian piano virtuoso Nikita Mndoyants to the Wellspring Theater in Kalamazoo on Sunday evening for the third installment of its Rising Stars series. Rising Stars offers an opportunity to see small recitals from up-and-coming artists in the world of classical piano, and 29-year-old Mndoyants performed for a full house clearly eager to enjoy his talents in such an intimate setting.